Fighting Illini Set for NCAA Tournament First Round Match vs. No. 24 Georgia Tech

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 39-ranked Illinois women's tennis team opens the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Saturday morning in the First Round hosted by ninth-seeded Texas. The Orange and Blue will face No. 24 Georgia Tech on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT from the Texas Tennis Center.

Georgia Tech enters the tournament with a 13-9 overall record, including a 9-4 mark in ACC play. The Yellow Jackets are 1-1 in neutral matches this season and 5-6 overall when playing away from home. GT earned 4-3 decisions over both Wisconsin and Northwestern from the Big Ten this season. Former Illini Alexis Casati is in her fourth season on the Ramblin' Wreck's staff and has been elevated to the program's associate head coach. Georgia Tech has appeared in 24 consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

No. 39 Illinois is 17-9 on the season, including an 8-3 record in Big Ten play. The Illini are 4-4 in neutral matches this season.

The second match of the First Round from the Austin site is [9] No. 9 Texas (21-5; 12-1 Big 12) vs. No. 42 Harvard (19-4; 5-2 Ivy League), which is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday. The winners of the First Round matches will face off on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Second Round.

LAST TIME OUT

The Illini opened the 2024 postseason with a Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament Second Round win over 12^th-seeded Rutgers. The victory allowed Illinois to make its 16th straight quarterfinal appearance – a streak that began in 2008. The Fighting Illini would bow out with a loss in the quarterfinals.

ILLINI VS. THE FIELD

Illinois is 0-2 all-time against Georgia Tech, including 0-1 under head coach Evan Clark. UI hosted the Yellow Jackets during the 2023 dual campaign. GT claimed a 6-1 decision, with Violeta Martinez earning the tally for the Illini.

Illinois is 2-6 all-time against Texas, while Evan Clark owns a 1-2 record against the Longhorns since taking over.

The Illini are 4-1 all-time against Harvard, with Evan Clark leading the Orange and Blue to a 1-0 mark.

NCAA TOURNAMENT

• 2024 marks the 15^th appearance for the Fighting Illini in the NCAA Championships.
• The Illini have a 4-14 record in NCAA Tournament play.
• Illinois has reached the Round of 32 four times in program history (2001, 2003, 2009, 2018).

ILLINI NOTES

• UI's 17 wins thus far are the third-most under Coach Clark and tie for the 10th-most in a season in program history. Three of those top-10 marks have come under Clark.
• Illinois has made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the second time under Clark and seventh time in program history. This season's appearance marks the fourth with Clark at the helm.
• On April 24, Megan Heuser was recognized as a Big Ten All-Conference athlete - the first honor of the sort of her career.
• Alice Xu was tabbed a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree by the league office.
• After receiving votes in the final two top-25 polls, Illinois moved up to No. 24 in the first computerized rankings of the season. The ranking was the best by the Illini since the 2019 campaign.
  • The Illini now sit at No. 39 with a 17-9 record.
• On Feb. 21, Kasia Treiber was tabbed the Big Ten Women's Tennis Player of the Week - the first honor of her career. Treiber posted a 2-0 weekend at No. 3 singles in the Fighting Illini's wins over Brown and Marshall at Atkins Tennis Center. Both were straight-set victories.
• Illinois finished with an 11-1 record when playing at the Atkins Tennis Center this season.
• Megan Heuser and Alice Xu are 9-4 as a partnership this season.
  • After an 8-1 start when working together in doubles play, Heuser and Xu made their first appearance in the ITA rankings at No. 35 on March 5.
  • The duo is currently ranked No. 70 in the ITA doubles rankings.
• With Kate Duong healthy again, Heuser and Duong reconnected on the doubles court in Illinois' victory vs. Purdue, earning a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles
  • Duong and Heuser returned to the ITA doubles rankings on April 16, coming in at No. 83.
  • Duong and Heuser own a 6-7 record when working together this season, including a 2-2 mark in dual play.
• Freshman Alice Xu registered the first clinch of her collegiate career against Northwestern on March 30, a result that moved her overall singles record to 10-4 in addition to her 6-0 mark in duals. She has gone on to pick up two more victories since the clinch, improving her record to 12-4 overall, 8-0 in duals, and 7-0 in Big Ten play.
• Head coach Evan Clark is in his ninth year as the head coach of Illinois women's tennis, holds an overall dual record of 131-84 (.609), and is 66-31 (.680) in Big Ten play during his time as an Illini. Including his time as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Clark owns a 162-95 record overall.
• The Illini are coming off an 18-10 season with an 8-3 Big Ten record in 2022-23. The Illini's 18 wins tied the sixth-most in a single season in program history. UI earned its 14th appearance to the NCAA Team Tournament in program history. The last time Illinois made the NCAA Tournament as a team was the 2019 campaign. The 2023 appearance marked the third with Clark at the helm.
• Illinois returns six of its eight players from last season, including fifth-year senior Josie Frazier and senior Kate Duong. Additionally, Megan Heuser, Kasia Treiber, and Kida Ferrari return for their junior campaigns, and Violeta Martinez begins her sophomore dual season. The Illini welcomed South Carolina transfer, but Illinois native, McKenna Schaefbauer along with freshmen Rosie Seccia and Alice Xu.

DOUBLES POINTS

Jan. 14 vs. EIU - 2: Ferrari/Martinez, 3: Treiber/Xu
Jan. 20 vs. No. 15 Duke - 2: Duong/Frazier, 3: Ferrari/Martinez
Feb. 11 vs. Ole Miss - 2: Heuser/Xu, 3: Martinez/Treiber
Feb. 18 vs. Marshall - 1: Heuser/Xu, 2: Schaefbauer/Martinez
Feb. 23 vs. Tulsa - 1: Heuser/Xu, 2: Schaefbauer/Martinez
Feb. 23 vs. Wake Forest - 1: Heuser/Xu, 3: Frazier/Ferrari
March 1 vs. Washington - 1: Heuser/Xu, 2: Schaefbauer/Martinez
March 15 vs. Maryland - 1: Heuser/ Xu, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
March 17 vs. Rutgers - 2: Ferrari/Frazier, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
March 22 at Iowa - 2: Ferrari/Frazier, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
April 5 vs. Minnesota - 2: Ferrari/Frazier, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
April 7 at Wisconsin - 2: Ferrari/Frazier, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber
April 12 vs. Indiana - 2: Schaefbauer/Treiber, 3: Duong/Xu
April 19 at Penn State - 2: Schaefbauer/Treiber, 3: Frazier/Xu
April 25 vs. Rutgers - 1: Duong/Heuser, 3: Schaefbauer/Treiber

CLINCHES

Jan. 14 vs. Missouri - Violeta Martinez (No. 4 singles)
Jan. 14 vs. EIU - Violeta Martinez (No. 2 singles)
Jan. 19 vs. Charlotte - Megan Heuser (No. 1 singles)
Jan. 28 vs. No. 23 UCF - Kasia Treiber (No. 3 singles)
Feb. 11 vs. Ole Miss - Kasia Treiber (No. 3 singles)
Feb. 17 vs. Brown - Josie Frazier (No. 5 singles)
Feb. 18 vs. Marshall - Kasia Treiber (No. 3 singles)
Feb. 23 vs. Tulsa - Josie Frazier (No. 5 singles)
March 15 vs. Maryland - Megan Heuser (No. 1 singles)
March 17 vs. Rutgers - Kasia Treiber (No. 4 singles)
March 24 at Nebraska - Josie Frazier (No. 3 singles)
March 30 vs. Northwestern - Alice Xu (No. 6 singles)
April 5 vs. Minnesota - Kasia Treiber (No. 4 singles)
April 12 vs. Indiana - Kasia Treiber (No. 4 singles)
April 14 vs. Purdue - Josie Frazier (No. 4 singles)
April 19 at Penn State - Kasia Treiber (No. 5 singles)
April 25 vs. Rutgers - McKenna Schaefbauer (No. 2 singles)

RANKING NOTES

Team (1-75)

• 9 – [9] Texas (21-5)
• 24 – Georgia Tech (13-9)
• 39 – Illinois (17-9)
• 42 – Harvard (19-4)

Doubles (1-90)

• No. 19 - Pachkaleva/Zeynalova (Texas)
• No. 21 - Lee/Sharabura (Georgia Tech)
• No. 34 - Rapolu/Sasnouskaya (Texas)
• No. 54 - Pachkaleva/Rivkin (Texas)
• No. 63 - Cruz/Roach (Georgia Tech)
• No. 70 - Megan Heuser/Alice Xu
• No. 82 - Megan Heuser/Kate Duong
• No. 85 - Chavatipon/Sasnouskaya (Texas)

Singles (1-125)

• No. 20 - Malaika Rapolu (Texas)
• No. 30 - Sabina Zeynalova (Texas)
• No. 38 - Carol Lee (Georgia Tech)
• No. 42 - Tanya Sasnouskaya (Texas)
• No. 85 - Charlotte Chavatipon (Texas)
• No. 122 - Taisiya Pachkaleva (Texas)

NEXT UP

The 16 advancing programs will compete next in the Super Regionals from May 10-11, with eight teams looking to earn a spot in the next round. The Quarterfinals through Championship – played at Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma – run through May 17-19. Singles and doubles finals take place thereafter from May 20-25.